Danganronpa 3 Future Arc Episode 11 Review: All Good Things

Short flashbacks like the one shown in the beginning of the latest Danganronpa 3 Future Arc episode serve as a little reminder of the plot and, in this case, a connector between the Future and Despair Arcs. It worked, because it managed to connect the anger I felt for Chisa during the last Despair episode and bring it along for this Future Arc. That brainwashed b$%^h. She was too cute to be true.

Plot

The episode was a little slow when compared to the rest of the series. Not necessarily a bad thing, since we managed to learn a few things about the killing game and witness a much necessary closure. After all, this is the arc that will end the story of Hope Peak’s Academy.

Remember Tengan’s answer to Kyosuke’s question? Last time I incorrectly assumed that Tengan was just avoiding to answer the question by saying that he doesn’t know albeit in a more elaborate way. How naïve I was… Tengan knew exactly what he was saying. There was no attacker. Everyone who was allegedly killed by the attacker committed suicide in a room with a monitor. Makoto, like a modern Ulysses, decided to test that theory. He tied up himself to resist any incoming sirens’ song and was left to fall asleep in front of a monitor. Makoto is awaken by a recording of Monokuma who uses a brainwashing video to drive him suicidal. With all that brainwashing videos in the Despair Arc, I should have made the connection with the Future Arc. I guess my deductive skills are not that great. He is saved at the last moment by Juzo who cut his hand to get rid of the bangle.

With half the mystery solved (we still don’t know who is behind the game), Juzo leaves on his own out of guilt for betraying Kyosuke and heads to the power room to cut the power to the monitors and the bangles.

The episode ends with Mitarai receiving a message from Suspect Number 1, Tengan Kazuo. I thought he was dead. Probably still is.

Episode Highlights

Juzo: This episode had few highlights. I am going to combine them all under this title, because every single one of them involved Juzo. I feel bad for the guy. Everything he did was out of love for Kyosuke. From lying to him about Junko to cutting his hand in the end to find the attacker, all happened so he could stay by his side and protect him. After learning about Chisa’s betrayal, Juzo’s was the only love story that touched my sensitive heart. At least we had a proper closure. I loved the scene where Kyosuke rushed to his side and apologized.

Suicides: It was just a few seconds each, but it was a nice touch to add a few animations about all the suicides. It now makes sense why Ruruka used her sweets in addition to the knife.

Themes & Trivia

Naegi’s Nightmare: The vision Naegi has during his brainwashing is about his dead classmates during the events of the first video game, Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc. In case you are wondering why everyone tells Naegi that he beat Junko Enoshima, it was at the end of this game that having been found out and her plans foiled, Junko committed suicide. Don’t even start about spoilers. This whole series was full of spoilers for those who haven’t played the game. I am still playing the first one.

Comments

I don’t have much to say about this episode. They missed both the intro and the outro to have more air-time in an episode without much suspense. I get it though. They had to go to the last episode having cleared the first part of the mystery. We now know how the game worked, but we don’t know the mastermind behind it. We have our survivors and I am very curious to see how the last chapter will play itself. After all, according to Monokuma, this is how their story will end.

And the rating is…

4/6

Not a very exciting episode, but certainly a very revealing one. Danganronpa is one of those stories that manages to play with your emotions. Like Junko’s brainwashing video, our minds are also affected by the stories on the screen, and even though they are not strong enough to drive us crazy, maybe they can make a think, if only a little bit.

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Thanasis is a writer, editor, and professional geek. He usually writes about what he thinks he knows about the struggles of studying languages, surviving as a creative soul, and socializing as an extroverted introvert.